Art op rolling metal



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Innen Z'o-P:

72 y @TM May l5, 192.8.

J. W. SHEPERDSON ART OF ROLLING METAL Jahn Fighe/Oe May 15, 192s. 1,669,788

J. W. SHEPERDSON ART OF ROLLING METAL Filed Dec. 18. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet TTZUEZ-Or: VhraW She erdscm Orne Patented May 15, 1928.

UNITED i STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. SHEPERDSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNR T0 MORGAN yCONSTRUCTION COMPANY, 0F WORCESTER,` MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OI MASSACHUSETTS.

ART oF ROLLING METAL.

Application led December 18, 1924. Serial No. 756,723.

The present invention relates to the art of rolling metal, into bars, rods, plates, etc., of varying cross-section,-th.e present application being a continuation, in part, of my copending application, Serial No. 557,467, filed April 29, 1922.

In one of its aspects, the invention relates i particularly to the production of plates or sheets of relatively flat cross-section,"and involves improvements in the use and operation of the vertically disposed rolls that act on the edges 4of such material, simultaneously with its passages throughadjoining horizontal rolls of a continuous milL--the object beingV to insure uniformity of section in the finished pieces `from end to end, with the elimination of any deformation therein, except that caused by a pure rolling process.

In another of its aspects, the invention relates to the production, by continuous rolling, of pieces of any desired cross-section, and involves departures from previous practices in the` mode of driving and operating the initial rolls of any given train of horizontal rolls constituting a continuous or semicontinuous rolling mill,-the object` being to eliminate any deformation, except that caused by a pure rolling process, and also to increase the flexibility, and when desired, thecapacity, of the mill. e

Inthe accompanying` drawings,

Figure l is a diagrammatic plan view lof a continuous edging mill, using both vertical and horizontal rolls, and so organized and constructed as to embody the principles of my invention, and f Figure 2 is a similar view, showing the invention applied to a continuous train of horizontal rolls.

Like reference characters refer to` like parts in the diiferent figures.

Referring .first to Fig. l, the edging mill may comprise, for example, a plurality of horizontal roll standsl 1, 1,1operating in conjunction with one or more stands of vertical edging rolls 2. The full-line showing at the left hand side of Fig. l indicates the adaptation of theinvention to an arrange- Lment wherein the edging rolls are ydisposed in advance of the horizontal rolls; ythe broken line showing at the right hand side of the drawing is illustrativeof the invention as applied to the disposition of the edging rolls between cooperating stands of horizontal rolls,

It has heretofore been the practice to drive the vertical edging rolls of a continuous edging mill in either one of two ways, namely, either by positive gearing from the horizontal rolls of the mill, at a speed bearing a fixedrelation to the speed of said horizontal rolls, or else by a ratchet drive. When the vertical edging rolls are disposed in advance of the horizontal rolls l, as shown in full lines at the left hand side of Fig. l, it has heretofore been customary to employ this ratchet drive, in connection with which the material, as it iirst enters the edging rolls, is moved solely by the power applied through the ratchet. Afterwards, however the front end of the material is taken hold of by the horizontalrolls, and the tendency of these, under normal conditions, to move the bar at an increased speed'is permitted by the ratchet drive of the edging rolls. The el'lect therefore is to drag the material through the vedging rolls, the latter rotating at a higher speed than that imparted thereto 'by the ratchet. y y y In otherwords, under these conditions, the edging rolls derive their rotation not from the ratchet, but from the material itself, by reason of the tension therein produced by the more rapidly rotating horizontalrolls.

This existence of tension in the material is highly disadvantageous, since it involves, Iin addition to they desired reductionby rolling, a mostundesirable and non-uniform reduction by stretching'-` For example, both the front and back ends of the finished piece will be apt to have, under these conditions, a different section from the intermediate portiony of the piece, `since the reduction of this intermediate portion is accomplished by combined rolling and stretching,'whereas no stretching takes place on the two ends.l It is the aim of the present invention to obviate this non-uniform treatment of thek material by the creation and maintenance of rolling conditions in an edging mill which eliminate, as far as possible, the existence of tension in the material between the different t any suitable source of power, not shown.

The edging rolls 2 in advance of the hori`v zontal rolls 1, 1 are adaptedv to be'. driven wholly independently of said horizontal rolls, from a separate source of power, as for example, a variable speed motor-15, latter, preferably having the speed-power characteristics of a compound wound direct current motor. Said separate independent driving means for the edgingA rolls l, 1,. (here shown' as motor 5) is equipped, ac'- cording to the invention, with a suitable device` for indicating variations in the' power required to drive the edging rolls 2, said device bein-g here shown by way ot example, as an ampere meter 6. Said separate individiial driving ineans is 'also equipped", according to the invention, with a device, suoli as a rheostat 7, for varying the speed ofthe edging; rolls, as desired. y

lAs the material enters the Inil'l, it is `first acted upon solely `by the edging rolls 2, and a short time interval el-apses before the front end ofI the material enters between. the next succeeding pair of horizontal rolls 1.` In this interval, according tothe invention, an observation or-reading is taken' from the device lgmasindicative of the .power input of the rolls 2, requredto accomplish the desired edgewise reduction of the piece. As soonvas the piece has entered into the horizontal rolls 1, another readingl or observa tion is taken from the device 6; and from a comparison of this second reading with the first, it is possible to establish in the mechanisrn`r the desired conditions of. rolling, in the following, manner:-`- I Itl the power input indicated by the se'ef ond' reading is lower than the original read-l ing, this is an indication that the material' is being deformed under two influences in the edgingy rolls 2, narnely, partly by rolling and' y partly by being drawn or stretchedby the next succeeding higher speed horizontal rolls 1. This condition can be rectified inimediately by manipulation of' the speed control device 7, to increase the speed ot the edging rolls 2' and thereby bring the power input shown on the' 'indicatingdevice 6" up' to the original reading, thus insuring the deforma-tion of' the piece in the edging rolls 2" by rolling action alone, and eliminating entirely, in respect of ,edgewisereductiom any assisting influence of thel horizontal rolls 1'. l

If, on the other hand, the second reading is higher than the original/one, it can be inferred that. the speed of the edging rolls 2' is too fast and that in addition to their rolling action on. the piece, they are tending to pushv the saine throughv the horizontal rolls 1j. Under such conditions, the speed control' device 7 can be manipulated tov de'- crease the speed of the edgingrolls 2:, until respectively, preceding and following, the In'echa'nisinY being'th'e same as provided for' the standoffA rolls S2', namelya varia-bleI speed motore', an ampere meter* 6y andfa rh'e'o'-l stat 7".

'An' initial reading is ytaken on the device 6 when the' edging rolls 2" start4 to workl on the front end" of the piece* of'material, and a second reading is taken when saidl front' end has been enteredV intoA the horizontal rolls 1f.. After the rear' end` of the material passiesbeyond the horizontal rolls 1, a third reading is taken, indica-tive ofthe 'conditions existing'in' the material between the standsorrolrls 1" anda".A From these three readings, it1 is possible, by a simple calculation,l to arrive at an approximately correct power input ligure for the edging roll-'s 2A', in resp'ectA of all similar succeeding pieces of Inaterial thatY are" topbereduced by the same meansto the sarnef section as the firs-t or trial pieve c Figure 2. d'sclose'sthe same principle of operation as' described` above, in connection with the several stands of horizontal rolls 8, 8" of van ordinaryy continuous rolling-mill.` In this nii'll 'the' horizontal rolls 8,8, ofJ the initial stand are driven' by an independent variable speed motor 5^', corresponding to the motor 5 offFig. 1,. and the horizoinalv rolls 8", 8, ofthe subsequent stands are driven in the usual way,- at progressively increasing speeds, byb'evel gearing 3", 3', from a main driving shaft 4. In precisely thc saine inanner as in' the edging inill of Fig. 1, the material entering the inill istirst acted upon solely by the initial rolls 8, 81, and in the short time4 interval which el'a'pses before the iront end ot the materiali'enters between' the next succeeding pai-r of rolls S",y 8", an observation or reading of' thel power input of the rolls 8, mary be taken from the am`- pere metery 6' or"l nlotor 5. Then when the piece has enteredone or the other of the subsequent stands of rolls `8, 8', another reading'or observation is taken from the de'- vice ,6,vf and' the comparison ofI tliissecond reading' witlii the first'- reading indicates whether orrnot the rolls 8', 8, are running at, the' proper speed to fulfilly ideal condi tions of roHing, i'. e., reduction of the piece rby av pure rollinga action', in the absence either of stripping, or of pushing, or' compressing tendencies. If the two power in put readings are not substantially the same, the speed control device 7 for motor 5 affords a means of either increasing or decreasing the speed of rolls 8, 8, as may be required, in order to make the second reading conform substantially to the iirst.

Furthermore, with this arrangement oi': separately driving a horizontal pair of rolls placed in advance of a continuous train and operable at adjustable speeds, an advantage is obtained in that said iirst pair oit' rolls can be made to deliver the stock selectively to any one of the succeeding pairs. For instance, when such a continuous mill is laced immediately adjacent to a heating urnace, the pusher har of said furnace can only conveniently push the stock into the first pair of rolls, and under these conditions When it is desired to begin 'the reduc tion of the stock in a pair ot rolls beyond the first or second pairs, it has heretofore been diliicult to introduce the stock satisfactorily to the desired rolls, on account ol' the relatively slow speeds of the preceding nonoperative or dummied roll stands. However, b the provision of an initial stand of rolls w ose speed is adjustable, this diiiiculty can be overcome by speeding up said initial rolls to relate them properly to the roll speed of the stand selected for the commencement of rolling,-thus enabling the mill to operate at a greatly increased capac ity under these conditions.

I claim,

1. In the production of relatively fiat metal bars by continuous flatwise and edgewise rolling, the improvement which consists in introducing a bar first to the edgewise rolls, observin the power required for edgewise rolling a one, and thereafter, in the continuous rolling operation on subsequent similar bars, by both edgewise and ilatwise rolls, supplying power for said edgewise rolling in accordance with said observation.

2. In the production of relatively flat metal bars by continuous atwise and edgewise rolling, the improvement which. consists in introducing a bar first to the edge wise rolls, observing the power required for edgewise rolling alone, then observing `the power input for edgewise rolling of said bar when it is being acted upon by both edgen wise and atwise rolls, and thereafter, itor subsequent similar bars, adjusting said last mentioned power input to conform to the first observation.

8. In a. continuous rolling mill, the combination with horizontal rolls and vertical.

edging rolls, oi'. means for independently supplying power to said edging rolls, and means for indicating any increase or dccrease in the power input of said rolls during the continuous rolling operation, as compared to their power input when operating alone.

1l. In a continuous rolling mill, the combination with horizontal rolls and vertical edging rolls, ot means for independently supplying power to said edging rolls, means tor indicating any increase or decrease in the power input of said rolls during the continuous rolling operation, as compared to their power input when opera-ting alone`r and means for adjusting the speed of said edging rolls during lthe continuous rolling operation.

In the art ott rolling metal, by the action thereon ot a continuous train of reducing rolls7 the improvement which consists in rolling a piece of the material first in the initial roll stand alone 0f said train, observing the power required for the reduction ot said piece by said initial roll stand, and thereafter in the continuous rolling operation on subsequent similar pieces of material by all the roll stands of said train, supplying power for the rolling in said initial stand in accordance with said observation.

6. In the art of rolling metal, by the acs tion thereon of a continuous train of reducing rolls, the improvement which consists in rolling a piece ol' the material in the initial roll stand of said train and simultaneously observing the power required to effect the` deformation taking place in said initial roll stand before the piece reaches the reducing pass in the next succeeding roll stand ot' said train, and thereafter adjusting the speed of the driving means of said first roll stand to maintain therein the saine power input following the entrance ot the piece into the pass of said next sueceeding roll stand.

7. In the art of rolling metal, by the ao tion thereon in a continuous mill of hori zontal rolls and verticaledging rolls, the improvement which consists in introducing the material first to the vertical rolls, ob serving the power input required tor the actionon said material of the vertical rolls alone, and thereafter, 'for the continuous rolling operation on subsequent similar material, by both horizontal and vertical. rolls. adjusting saidpower input to the vertical rolls to accord with said observation.

Dated this twelfth day of Decemberv` i924.

JOHN W. SHEPERDSON. 

